Friedhof Heerstraße

English Friedhof Heerstraße

The Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery is located at Trakehnerallee 1 (Trakehner avenue No.1), district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin, Germany, beneath the Olympiastadion. It covers an area of 149,650 square meters.

The cemetery was originally named and planned for the local residents of Villenkolonie Heerstraße. It was laid out between 1921-24 around the Sausuhlensee (Wild boar's lake). Created by landscape architect Erwin Barth as a forest cemetery, the chapel was designed by Erich Blunck.

Today's cemetery does not reflect its original design. In 1935/36 the original plans for extending the cemetery were dropped and the land was appropriated for landscaping related to the 1936 Summer Olympics; the fact that the non-denominational cemetery contained a number of Jewish graves bolstered the Nazis' need to keep the cemetery out of sight. Another problem for the Olympic organizers was that the cemetery chapel could be seen from the sports fields; accordingly the roof was lowered and other changes made to its design.

In 1948 the war-damaged chapel was rebuilt following the 1936 design alterations.

From the beginning this cemetery was open to all: Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even suicides. Its idyllic location on the lake attracted many prominent people whose graves are located there.

Source: Friedhof Heerstraße